Denver Public Schools Foundation Annual Report 2014/15 dpsfoundation.org Mission In partnership with Denver Public Schools, we raise and manage funds, make strategic program investments, and serve as community leaders so that all students have the opportunity to succeed. Vision In Denver Public Schools, outstanding educational achievements are the norm and all children have hope of a great future. Shared Core Values Students First + Equity + Collaboration + Integrity + Accountability + Fun 1 + Annual Report 2014/15 Dear Friend of the DPS Foundation, Denver is among our country’s most vibrant urban cities, with a thriving economy and a rich culture of arts and intellectual exchange. It is a much sought-after place to live for people of all ages, including families with school-aged children. Our community demands and deserves a top-notch public school system for our children. Access to a quality education for all of Denver’s students is a critical reason thousands more families continue to choose Denver Public Schools (DPS) to steward their children’s education. It’s why DPS continues to be the fastest growing urban school district in the country. Our future depends on the investment we make as a community today to provide a high-quality education for every child for generations to come. Your support of the DPS Foundation is helping to push forward this important work to make Denver’s school system the best in the country. Your gift is at work, and the work being done in DPS is recognized nationally. We thank you for your dedication to the lives of Denver’s students and to the quality of our public education system and our collective future. DPS continues to reach milestones in its quest to become the best public school district in the country. Under the direction and vision of the Denver Plan 2020, DPS students have shown dramatic improvement over the rest of the state in every core subject area. In the past six years, on-time graduation rates have risen by 24 percentage points while dropout rates have been cut in half. As the largest school system in Colorado, DPS serves more than 90,000 students – a 24 percent enrollment increase in the past 10 years. Despite our progress and growth, we can’t ignore the difficult truths and incredible challenges urban school districts face. Closing the opportunity gap between our affluent and non-affluent students continues to be an urgent priority. Only six in 10 third-grade students are proficient readers. Research continues to show that third-grade proficiency is one of the key indicators of high school on-time completion. Our goal is to ensure every child is reading at grade level, and 100 percent of our students are graduating from high school on-time and ready for college, career and life. You play a critical role in this growth and progress as part of a powerful community-wide movement to ensure the strength of our public school system. Thanks to supporters like you, we raised more than $15 million in 2014-15 for DPS students and schools. We are pleased to highlight some of this past year’s success stories in the pages that follow. With your help, we’re empowering school leaders to identify, evaluate and replicate the highest-performing and most exciting new innovations; and we’re expanding core programs proven to have measurable impact on the lives of our students. Together, we will achieve our shared vision: Every Child Succeeds! Along with the DPS Foundation 2015-16 Board Chair Craig Umbaugh, we thank you for your commitment to Denver’s students. Sincerely, Kristin Heath Colon Brooke Brown Tom Boasberg President & CEO, Denver Public Schools Foundation 2014-15 Board Chair, Denver Public Schools Foundation Superintendent, Denver Public Schools 2 3 + Annual Report 2014/15 With the support of the community, the Denver Public Literacy is tied to Schools Foundation funds innovative literacy strategies for students of all ages to ensure every child is reading at grade level everything we do and prepared to be a lifelong learner. These literacy programs allow children to build the confidence and skills they need to become strong in life. The power readers and future leaders. of literacy lies not just in the ability + to read and write, 6K Only six in 10 third-grade students Through the DPS Foundation’s are proficient readers. Research School Partners Program, more than but more so in a continues to show that third- 700 community members spent grade proficiency is one of the key 6,000 hours reading with students indicators of high school on-time one-on-one, increasing students’ person’s capacity completion. confidence in literacy. to apply these skills to effectively connect, interpret and discern the intricacies of the world in which Every student has talent and potential. It is up we live. to us to build a foundation for their success. 4 A to Z Fund: Classroom Grants for Schools and Teachers All of our students deserve access to educational “ enrichment opportunities that allow them to achieve at the highest levels; and teachers deserve our support to help provide these opportunities. The A to Z Fund provides grants to individual schools and classrooms for programs and activities that go beyond schools’ limited budgets. These grants are available to any DPS school to enhance classroom learning. $1.26 Since 2006, the DPS Foundation has awarded 946 million A to Z Fund classroom grants totaling $1.26 million. 5 + Annual Report 2014/15 A to Z Fund Prepared Students for the DPS Shakespeare Festival Each year, more than 5,000 students from across the metro-area celebrate the works of Shakespeare at the annual DPS Shakespeare Festival, the oldest and largest student Shakespeare festival in the country. Using the works of Shakespeare, students from Munroe Elementary were challenged to acquire new vocabulary, make connections to their own cultural heritages, and incorporate critical and imaginative thinking. In addition, students were provided a forum to demonstrate their talents as performers. Preparing for the Shakespeare Festival enhances literacy and brings out the artist, actor and leader in each of our kids. In my classroom, 100% of my students speak English as a second language, so one of the things we struggle with is expression when speaking. Learning the works of Shakespeare has really helped them to excel. We used the A to Z Fund grant to bring in actors for extra practice “sessions, a performance, and to purchase brand-new costumes, which really boosted their confidence when performing. -Rachael Nyberg-Hampton,” Teacher at Munroe Elementary A to Z Fund Provided Skiing Lessons for DPS Students! I had never been skiing before. I always thought it would be really hard, but my ski teacher showed me lots of cool techniques to make it easy. I know to “french fry” and “pizza” to control how fast or slow I go. I also learned to move like a snake and lean when making sharp turns. I am pretty good at skiing now! Most of “the class was afraid of skiing — they were able to overcome their fear because of these lessons. It was so awesome, and the teachers were just so amazing and fun! -Daijah, 5th Grade, Gust Elementary ” 6 Development of five rigorous CTE pathways focused on STEM-related careers including: “ Biomedical Engineering Applied Digital and IT Finance and Healthcare and Energy Manufacturing 7 + Annual Report 2014/15 Donor Spotlight: Donna Lynne, Strengthening the a Champion for STEM and the DPS Foundation Pipeline to Success My commitment to the DPS Foundation is both a personal and a professional investment. I believe providing high quality public education is a social justice issue, through Career and and all students – regardless of their socioeconomic status, ethnicity or where they “are from – should be afforded an opportunity to go to a great public school. The Technical Education DPS Foundation enriches the lives of young people by enabling school opportunities students wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to participate in, such as afterschool programs and arts education. DPS has set out on an ambitious path to dramatically When I came to Denver to work for Kaiser Permanente, I recognized that Kaiser was improve how we’re preparing students for college and career. a big supporter of many community-based activities. It was important for me to bring By implementing a pipeline of Career and Technical Education my passion to community giving. I’m a believer and supporter of CTE to help connect (CTE) pathways, DPS is preparing our future leaders for the our young people to the next step in their lives – whether that is a CTE career or a very jobs that are in highest demand in Denver – ensuring that college degree. Kaiser is a large employer in the Denver-metro area. I have a desire we are strengthening our city, and our students’ futures. to hire people from our community, and our commitment to CTE and STEM helps to CTE pathways involve worked-based learning. Students have the connect students to these careers. chance to gain hands-on workplace experience and mentoring, including job shadows, career fairs and summer industry One of my passions is that all children must be healthy in order to learn well. academies, in addition to their targeted classroom curriculum. Kaiser’s work has helped to provide health care and instill healthy habits for DPS students. It’s an area we can help with – and we do this through our commitment and investment in DPS and the DPS Foundation. Student Spotlight: Amanda Donna Lynne has been a longtime CEC Middle College of Denver supporter of the DPS Foundation.